


Love Patrol

by WanderingShaman



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: College AU, Full Cast - Freeform, Jearmin Reverse Bang, M/M, Multi, Rom Com with a side of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-03-30 03:56:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3922006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WanderingShaman/pseuds/WanderingShaman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean Kirschtein is a popular junior in his college's top fraternity. He can have any girl he wants with the wink of an eye, except the one he really wants: Mikasa. The girl has been turning him down since freshman year, but this time he is determined. He is going to win her heart. That is, until he encounters fanny-pack wearing Armin Arlert. It's like love at first sight, too bad the blonde seems to want nothing to do with him and even go so far as to feel animosity towards his entire fraternity. But of course, something as trivial as this isn't going to stop Jean Kirschtein.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Love At First Litter

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Jearmin Reverse Bang and was a collab with the amazing artist supremearmin (http://supremearmin.tumblr.com/post/118357769719/fraternity-boy-jean-kirschtein-meets-fanny-pack). You all should definitely check out their art. It was so much fun working with them.
> 
> This is my first Attack On Titan fanfiction so I am still struggling with how to write the characters, but I hope you all enjoy the story nonetheless!!

Jean Kirschtein was known for having a bit of an ego. Though to be fair, many circumstances in his life had lead him towards this thought process so it was almost impossible to hold himself totally at fault in his way of thinking. His skin was tan from spending so many summers at his parent’s beach house and swimming has given his already broad shoulders just the definition they need. Then there’s the six pack. He spent countless days in the gym agonizing over perfecting it and now it’s definitely his favorite feature. He finds a way to end up shirtless at almost every party, his two toned hair slicked back with sweat in the most appetizing way. So even though Jean Kirschetein was known for being a bit of a pompous asshole, most people still found themselves drawn to him.

Not to mention the fact that he is in Sigma Epsilon (Sig Ep for short), the most sought after fraternity on campus. They are known for having the biggest parties and hottest college boys. They are extremely selective and even the brothers with girlfriends are only with the most stunning of women. The fact that he was recruited before rush even started gave him an almost certain place among the brothers and his already high social standing sky rocketed. Suddenly he had girls ogling him at every chance they got, though much to his dissatisfaction, he never seemed to be able to get the attention of the one girl he had feelings for.

Mikasa Ackerman.

She caught his eye freshman year in seminar. Back then her hair was long and kept in a loose braid that trailed down to mid back. She wore a red scarf every day unless it was sweltering out, but up in central Pennsylvania, those days were few and far between. Jean tried everything to get on her good side. He might have made one too many passes at her though and her possessive brother, Eren, was suddenly out for his blood.

Freshman year was a bust and he stuck to girls he met at parties. Sophomore year started and he finally thought he was over his massive crush, but then she walked into his Biology class with her hair cut short and a black dress that flared at the waist in a way that showed off her petite yet muscular build. Suddenly he was in love again. That was the year he joined Sig Ep and he thought everything would change. He thought that he would finally get the girl, but that damn Eren Jaeger made it his goal to keep the two of them apart and by the end of the year, he was still unsuccessful.

Now it’s Junior year and there’s determination shining in Jean’s honey colored eyes as he strolls across campus in a Hooters wifebeater one of his brothers got him as a joke. He’s sipping a coke left over from the extremely healthy meal he just got at McDonalds and it might possibly be the most revolting thing ever. Just because he’s a guy doesn’t mean he can’t be concerned with health and he is going to need some extra time in the gym just to work all of this off. As long as it doesn’t affect his abs he is sure he will manage.

Taking one last swig, he finally finishes the monstrosity and glances around. There isn’t a trashcan in sight, so he shrugs and tosses the empty beverage over his shoulder. This school is loaded; a groundskeeper will surely come and clean this up.

Of course, life is normally that simple for Jean Kirschtein, so just this once things go quite a different way.

Tweeeeeet!!

The shrill sound of a whistle blaring pierces his ears and Jean turns around slowly. He can’t believe his terrible luck to run into one of those nerdy campus patrol students, or whatever they are calling themselves nowadays. That entire group has caused nothing but problems for the fraternities since day one. They have already tried to ban alcohol and lately they have been coming to parties and getting them shut down just because a few people are drunk. Needless to say, people like Jean don’t associate with them unless it is absolutely necessary, and even then the contact is minimal.

Jean braces himself for an unattractive guy with pimples all over his face, but instead he sees the most beautiful human being to ever grace this Earth. She (?) is wearing baggy cargo shorts with a mint tshirt tucked into them and the obnoxious club fanny pack around her waist. The outfit is overall quite bland, but that isn’t what Jean is looking at. No, he has his eyes set on her face. She has blonde hair that falls just below her chin and blows in the gentle wind in a way that makes his knees go week. Her eyes are large and blue and remind him of all those summers spent surfing and tanning. Then there are her lips. They look pouty with the whistle still gently nestled between them; just where Jean wants his own lips to be.

While he is staring she drops the whistle and it falls down to rest against her very flat chest, not that that is really an issue to Jean. Then she raises a finger and beckons him over. In actuality it’s a gesture of annoyance, but Jean can just imagine her saying: “Come here big boy.” He’s helpless as he stumbles over to her, trying to keep what little composure and dignity he has left.

Suddenly Mikasa doesn’t seem like such a catch.

The mysterious blonde is tapping her foot impatiently as Jean comes to a stop in front of her. “Do you happen to know what a trashcan is?” she asks, sounding beyond annoyed. Jean also notices that her voice is a little deeper than he expected. He can get over it though. He can get over anything for her.

“I, uh,” he stammers. Smooth.

She lets out an audible sigh and bends down to pick up the offending cup. “Listen, it’s been a rough day and I really don’t feel like dealing with this. Just throw your trash away and I won’t write you up.”

Jean reaches out and takes the cup. Their fingers brush and for him it’s like a scene out of a romantic comedy. He’s never been this swept up before, but suddenly he can’t call upon his witty retorts or well practiced pick up lines. For the first time in his life, he has absolutely nothing to say.

“Well?”

“Sure,” Jean nods. He curses himself for acting like an idiot. He turns away and throws the offending object in the trash can before taking a deep breath. He needs to compose himself; there’s still a chance that he can fix this. There are a million different lines he can use to woo this girl, but he has to pick the right one. If he doesn’t this could all be over before he even gets a chance.

Once Jean has composed himself, he turns around quickly and stalks over to where she is still standing. She is looking away from him so he taps her on the shoulder to get her to turn. Even this second glance shows how beautiful she is so without another thought Jean gently puts his hand under her chin to tilt her head up towards him. Their eyes meet and liquid amber gazes intently into the endless ocean.

“Do you have a map? Because I keep getting lost in your eyes,” Jean says. His face is completely straight aside from a slight smirk and he refuses to break eye contact.

The blonde blinks, breaking the spell, and lets out a loud sigh. “I really don’t have time for this. Look, I’m tired and just want to go back to my dorm room. So play your prank on someone else.”

“Prank…?” Jean says with genuine confusion.

“Oh please,” the blonde responds with an eye roll. “You can’t honestly expect me to believe that your frat brothers didn’t put you up to this. Just because my hair is a little longer doesn’t give you the right to pretend I’m a girl and hit on me.”

A look a pure confusion passes over Jean’s face and the blonde starts to blush. The dots are slowly connecting for both of them and it’s too much to bear so the boy with the blue eyes turns on his heel and hurries off in the opposite direction.

Jean stands there for a moment longer before muttering, “At least tell me your name…”

***

“Where have you been? I thought you were going out for a quick lunch?” one of Jean’s fraternity brothers asks as he meanders into the common room. The boy has freckles littering his face and a kind smile that has won over many people and got him out of all kinds of trouble. He is laying down on the couch so that his feet are propped up on top of it and his head is dangling upside down. There’s a book in his hands as if he was actually doing work before Jean stumbled in.

“I was,” Jean replies, still in a daze from the events that transpired only minutes ago.

The boy seems to consider his friend for a moment before straightening up and patting the seat next to him supportively. “You look wrecked man. Wanna tell me what happened?”

Jean lets out a loud sigh and goes to sit down next to the boy. He has been friends with Marco since high school and the two of them are not only fraternity brothers, but might as well actually be related given how close they are. There are some secrets that Jean can only reveal to him and this love at first sight crush might just be one of them. “I met someone today. They were gorgeous. So gorgeous in fact that I thought he was a chick.”

Marco raises an eyebrow. Jean has been out of the closet as pansexual since their third year of high school. Most people just accept it and move on. Besides, he mostly goes for women anyway so there’s even less reason for people to get worked up over nothing. That’s why it’s such a shock that he seems so upset about whatever happened. So what if he has a crush on a cute boy? It’s happened before and it’s bound to happen again.

“You’re going to have to elaborate,” Marco finally replies.

Jean puts his head in his hands and pretty much shakes his entire body. “The fact that he’s a dude isn’t even the problem man. The problem is that he’s one of those annoying campus patrol freaks. He busted me for throwing my cup on the ground.” Jean looks up and his amber eyes are wide with uncertainty. “He’s gorgeous Marco, but the other guys would have a fit if I tried to pursue this. Plus, I didn’t even get his name. He just ran off when I tried to hit on him and made some big scene about being put up to this… whatever that means.”

The freckled boy puts an arm around his best friend and squeezes lightly. Then he lets out a light chuckle. “You’re so far gone aren’t you?”

“I don’t think I even like Mikasa anymore,” Jean says in reply.

A beat of silence passes before Marco stands up and faces his friend. “If that’s the case then we are just going to have to track this boy down so you can prove that it really is love at first sight!”

“Keep your fucking voice down,” Jean mutters, pulling him back down to his seat on the couch. Despite his harsh words though, there’s a small smile on his face. He is going to find this boy and ask him out on a real date. He will prove that no one put him up to this and his sudden feelings are actually genuine.

***

How does this keep happening to him? All he wants is to get his degree and move on with his life, yet everyone else seems intent on making his time here a living hell. Especially the boys in Sig Ep. Even thinking the name causes the blonde to let out an involuntary shudder. Since he arrived here three years ago he seems to be nothing but their personal plaything. Maybe he didn’t help matters when the first club he joined was the campus patrol, but he thought he was going to be doing something good, not painting a huge target on his back. In fact, if Eren hadn’t been around he probably would have had to transfer by second semester.

“What happened this time?” said dark haired boy asks as Armin comes hurrying into their shared dorm room. They live with two other friends in something called a Gateway, which has a small kitchen, living room, bathroom, and four separate (but small) bedrooms. He lives with Eren, Mikasa, and some girl Sasha who got randomly grouped with them. She isn’t necessarily an unpleasant person to live with, but she is always up hanging out with her boyfriend, so they rarely see her.

Armin throws his fanny pack and whistle somewhere on the floor before collapsing next to his best friend. He is trying to keep his eyes from tearing up, but after having this happen so many times it is getting harder and harder to brush it off. “They’re doing it again,” he mumbles cryptically but Eren knows exactly what he’s talking about.

“Who is it? I’ll bash his fucking face in,” he replies murderously.

The blonde shakes his head sadly. “Don’t do that. If you threaten that I’m not going to tell you his name.”

Eren seems to take his words into consideration before letting out a breath of air he hadn’t even known he was holding. “Fine. I won’t beat him up. But if he tries this shit again then all bets are off.”

“It’s Jean,” Armin mutters, ignoring his friends further comments.

“The same Jean who won’t stop hitting on my sister?” Eren asks. Suddenly the murderous aura is back around him and Armin feels the urge to move away from him. Eren is known for being a bit of a hot head and if not for the other two he probably would have been kicked out of school for getting into too many fights. It all stems from how over protective he is both of the blonde boy he grew up with and his foster sister. To hear that it’s the same asshole who won’t leave his sister alone is just the thing to get his blood boiling.

“Drop it Eren,” Armin sighs. He leans his head on the other boy and lets his blonde hair fall into his eyes. It’s started to sprinkle outside and he focuses in on the calming sound in an effort to make his worries go away. “Usually they just ask for a date or something and then drop it. I’m not going to see him again.”

“If I see him I’m gonna bash his face in,” Eren mutters darkly. He puts an arm around the blonde and pulls him in even closer. That’s how it’s always been between them. They too have become so close that they might as well be siblings. Growing up, the three of them spent all their time together and when Armin and Mikasa both wanted to come to this university, Eren decided to buckle down and get the grades that would gain him admission as well. The three of them are absolutely inseparable and none of them have any intention of letting that change.

Later that day Mikasa arrives back at the gateway and a small smile graces her lips as she takes notice of the two boys napping on the couch. She has never been good at getting close to people, but those two are certainly the exception.

***

“How am I even supposed to find him? I don’t even know his name?” Jean asks with a hint of dramatic desperation. It’s the next day and Jean is pacing around his room in the outfit Marco helped him pick out. Who knew that it was possible for a straight boy to have such impeccable taste in fashion, but he made Jean look even hotter than usual with tight, dark skinny jeans and a shirt that is just tight enough to show off all his muscles but not too tight to look forced.

“Because I know his name,” Marco replies triumphantly.

Jean crashes to his knees in front of the other boy and takes his hands in his own. “Dear freckled Jesus, please bestow upon me this great knowledge.”

Marco lets out a light laugh and makes him at least stand up. “It didn’t take much. I just went to the group’s facebook page and found a picture of the guy you described. His name is Armin Arlert and he’s a junior like us.”

“Armin…,” Jean mutters, trailing off. His mind is slowly making connections and grabbing at information he had heard in passing. Things are starting to become clearer but he just can’t put together the final pieces of the puzzle. But he knows that he has heard that name somewhere before.

All this time Marco has still been talking to him, most likely giving him more facts that he learned about Armin, but Jean is no longer listening. He is off in his own little world trying to make sense of it all. He knows that he is missing something but just can’t seem to figure out what it is.

“So that’s why he probably said that to you,” Marco concludes. There’s a sad look on his face for some reason.

“What?” Jean asks dumbly.

“You didn’t hear anything I said did you?”

“His name is Armin and he’s a junior…”

Marco lets out a sigh. “You’re lucky I like you so much. Armin is the kid the other guys like to hit on and pretend to go on dates with. They’ve done some pretty horrible stuff just because he looks a little girly and is a member of that club. That must be why he said that stuff to you before leaving. I’m sure he just thinks that this is another set up.”

“Wait,” Jean says, startled at what he is hearing. “Armin is the person I hear the guys talking about? I thought that was just some girls who got caught up in their stupid games. I didn’t think they were doing all that to him.”

“I just know some rumors, but nothing for fact,” Marco replies. “But yea, he gets the brunt of it.”

Jean stands a little taller and looks resolutely at his best friend. “I, Jean Kirschtein, will right their wrongs. I am going to make him forget about all those horrible things and take him, Armin Arlert, on the most amazing date of his life. Then we will be together forever and move into a huge house and adopt kids and get a puppy.”

Marco rolls his eyes and lets out a light chuckle. “I think you might be getting ahead of yourself, but that first part sounds great.”

“Now tell me where he lives.”

“The school website says that he is in gateway 3C.”

“Then that’s where I’m going!”

Marco might have tried to stop him, but Jean was already on his way out the door. Jean is not the type of person who likes to wait for things to happen; he would much rather grab the bull by the horns and take charge of the situation. And that’s exactly what he plans on doing as he strides across campus to the looming gateways. The C gateway is the first one he reaches and he quickly swipes his card so that he can get inside. Then it’s just a matter of conquering the formidable stairs as he ascends to the top floor.

There are four doors on this floor and he has to walk to the other end of the hallway to get to the one that has Armin’s name pasted on it. He takes note of the other residents as well. The first is a girl named Sasha. Jean knows her well since she’s always up at Sig Ep with Connie. She seems nice enough but spends most of her time either talking about food or cooking it and eating it. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing since she often shares of it, but it still shows that she has a one track mind.

The next name is one he is all too familiar with: Mikasa. When he reads her name though, he doesn’t feel the usual tugging at his heart so it only serves to further confirm that he crush on her is over and he has moved on to the gorgeous blonde who is hopefully on the other side of that door. Then there’s the final name and one he only vaguely recognizes: Eren. He’s heard stories about the boy but has been fortunate enough to never have to deal with him personally. Hopefully today will not be the day to change that because his heart is already beating fast enough at the thought of Armin being on the other side of this door, much less anyone else.

He brings his hand up and resolutely knocks.

The resulting silence is almost enough to make his heart stop. But then, the door slowly starts to open and the blonde head of Armin Arlert appears, looking confused and maybe a little bit annoyed. There are dark circles under his eyes from staying up all night doing work and he had only just collapsed on the couch to sleep when this interruption occurred.

For a moment neither of them can find the words to speak. Jean because he is still so awestruck by how beautiful the boy is and Armin because there really are no words that can properly convey how it feels to see this guy again. Usually the Sig Ep guys get the picture when he just says no, but apparently this one didn’t get the memo.

“What do you want?” the blonde finally asks.

Jean tries so very, very hard to speak, but the words are just not coming. He spent most of last night preparing a dramatic speech that would sweep the boy off his feet, but all of it have flown out of his mind and he is left awestruck.

The silence stretches on for just long enough for Armin to get annoyed and begin to shut the door. This seems to be all the motivation Jean needs and his hand shoots out to keep the door from closing completely. Unfortunately, he moves just a little too slowly and without enough force and instead of stopping the door, he merely collides with it, effectively crushing his poor fingers in the process.

“Fuck!” he shouts in reflex.

“I’m so sorry!” Armin shouts back, immediately flinging the door wide open and dragging the taller boy into his room. He rushes over to the sink and turns the cold water on full blast and sticking Jean’s hand under it. “Stay,” he mutters. Then he roots around in the freezer until he finds a suitable size icepack. He grabs Jean’s hand and the boy’s heart nearly stop as sparks shoot through his entire being. But then the brief contact is over and Armin is wrapping his hand in the icepack.

“This should keep the swelling down at least,” Armin sighs. “I’ll go see if I have some painkillers.”

“Thanks,” Jean finally mutters. He watches as the blonde retreats into another room and can’t help but notice how cute he looks in today’s outfit. It consists of skinny jeans and an oversized mint sweat that looks perfect for cuddling in. And that’s really what Jean wants to do right now. He doesn’t care about the pain or the embarrassment or anything else.

Armin appears a minute later with a little white pill and a cup of water. He sits down on the couch, just far enough away so that there’s no chance of them touching. He hands the two objects over to the amber eyed boy. “I’m sorry I crushed your fingers, but it was kinda stupid of you to stick them in the door like that. What are you even doing here?”

Jean takes the pill because despite the high he’s getting from being in the same room with the boy he likes, the pain is still starting to set in. He really hopes that he didn’t accidentally get his fingers broken. But once the pill has been downed, he casually sets the glass where it won’t get spilled. Then he takes a deep breath and gathers all his courage.

“I really like you,” he says just above a whisper. Then, while Armin is still processing those four little words, he leans across the couch to give him a gentle kiss. Jean has never been good with words, but he hopes that just maybe, his actions can make up for it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update this and I know the chapter is short. I'm hoping that if I put something up now it will give me the motivation to continue. So please look forward to quicker updates!!

**Chapter Two**

The kiss is brief because Jean is afraid if he tries to take things any further he will get immediate rejection. And the moment it is over he makes sure to move back to his side of the couch, just to give the blonde some time to process whatever just happened. Armin just continues to stare at him with his eyes wide and if Jean squints hard enough he feels like he can see a loading bar above the boy's head. He didn't realize that his actions would shock the other so much. Maybe he had never been kissed before. If so, Jean is happy that he got to be the first because he is very talented in such matters; many people have told him so.

“Why?” Armin asks softly. It seems his response has finally been loaded, though it isn't exactly a positive one. Now he is sitting over there with his eyes wide and his hand up at his mouth just lightly touching his lips. Disbelief surrounds him like a thick fog and Jean begins to doubt that his real intentions got through.

“Because I like you,” he replies. Suddenly he isn't feeling so cocky about his abilities and worries that maybe he got it all wrong. Maybe words would have been the better way to go instead of just latching on like this. But that's all in the past now and he's going to just have to find a way to come back from it. He knows that he can convince Armin that his feelings are real if he just gets half a chance.

“Get out,” Armin says resolutely. He moves a shaky hand to point towards the door and the beginnings of tears are starting to brim in his brilliant blue eyes. “Get out and don't come back. I always knew you guys were assholes, but I never thought you would go this far.”

“What?” Jean is genuinely confused. Did he really go that wrong by kissing the boy. He didn't even use any tongue so why is he so upset?

“Get out!” Armin shouts.

Jean stands up on reflex and backs slowly towards the door. He doesn't want to give up, but he also can't understand what is going on right now. The one thing he does know is that he doesn't want to make things worse than they already are. “I'm sorry,” he mutters as he closes the door behind himself. Then he's out in the hallway all by himself. “Damnit,” he curses and smacks the wall in annoyance with both himself and the situation. Unbeknownst to him, the blonde boy in the other side of the door hears the thump and nearly falls off the couch in shock and just a little bit of fear. To him, it suggests that maybe yelling wasn't the best strategy and now he's possibly made things even worse for himself.

But Jean knows none of this and all he is think is that maybe Marco will have some insight to this. Marco always seems to be much better at matters of romance. Jean relies on his good looks and natural talent, but the other boy can rely on his good heart. As that thought crosses his mind Jean cringes at how sappy it sounds, but he can't deny that it's true. Marco is possibly the most kind-hearted person he knows and surely he will be able to figure out how to make this situation right. He will know the magic words that will convince Armin to talk to him again. So Jean treks dejectedly back to his room in the hopes of finding the freckled boy.

***

Once Jean has left Armin feels most of the tension leave his body, though the tears that have spilled over won't stop falling. He should probably text Eren or Mikasa, but he doesn't want to bother either of them. He is used to the guys in Sig Ep doing this to him so he's not sure why he continues to let it get to him. Besides, if he tells Eren the boy might really go off on Jean and get himself kicked out of school. And after how hard he worked to get in here, Armin would be a bad friend if he let something as silly as this get in the way of his success. So instead of finding his phone to text either of his friends, he decides that he might be better off just sleeping the whole experience away. He had planned on taking a nap anyway. If he does that then maybe he can forget everything and it will all go back to normal. Besides, this Jean guy isn't going to come back again or anything, or so he hopes. The guys of Sig Ep might be assholes, but none of them harass him for too long. Now that Jean has made his move, Armin should have a little time to himself before another boy comes along to tease him.

His eyes drift closed and the tear tracks slowly dry on his face as he falls asleep. It's a sleep devoid of dreams and for once he is grateful for that. Because not only does he want to just forget everything, but he also really needs a restful sleep after how stressful this week has been. He swears that all his professors teamed up to give a million assignments that were all do at the same time. But now it's the weekend and Armin is done all his work and he just wants to sleep it all away.

When he finally wakes up the sky is dark and only a sliver of moonlight is peeking in behind the semi-sheer curtains. So Armin stretches his cramped body and flicks on the light next to the couch. The sudden burst of light makes him squint, but once he's adjusted to the brightness he peeks up over the couch to see the time on the microwave.

9:47.

Wow, he slept for a long time. As if on cue his stomach gives a low rumble and he rubs it with his hand. He stands up and stretches some more, then pauses as he waits for the slight vertigo to pass. Then he heads into the kitchen and opens the fridge. There should be some leftovers from the other night, so he pulls them out and heats them up before heading back to the couch and flipping on the TV. Eren insisted that he get cable for the gateway and right now Armin is really grateful for his insistence. It helps him take his mind off things and pretend this afternoon never happened.

So he sits there watching TV and waiting to see which roommate stumbles in first. It's a Friday, so Sasha is definitely up at Sig Ep (just thinking the name makes Armin shudder). Mikasa is probably with Annie and Hitch getting ready to hit the bar. Eren is probably at a frat. He hasn't turned 21 yet, but he loves to drink and party, so he has to use all his connections to get into the surrounding fraternities. Though he won't step foot in Sig Ep because of Armin, though this has been much to the dissatisfaction of Connie who continuously invites him. Armin just hopes that someone will come back soon. Eren and Mikasa are really his only friends so when they go out and do their own things he is usually left alone. They don't do it on purpose. In fact, in the beginning the two of them practically refused to go out. It was Armin who finally told them that they had to start going out, because the weekends in were driving them crazy. They have told him repeatedly to just call or text if he gets lonely, but Armin has yet to take them up on the offer.

The food and mindless TV show help to improve his mood, but it still makes for a lonely Friday night. And he wonders, not for the first time, if he really belongs at this school.

***

“I fucked up!” Jean groans dramatically as he flops down on the futon in Marco's room.

The other boy looks up from the book he's reading and humors Jean with a small smile. “What did you do?” he asks. He sets the book off to the side with the page marked. Judging from the distraught aura radiating from the other boy, he has a feeling that he won't be doing any more reading tonight. So instead he turns his full attention to the male laying haphazardly on his futon. “From the way you're acting like the world's ending I'm guessing you did something brash and a little dumb.”

Jean gives a small nod. Then he pauses. It isn't that he has a problem telling Marco what he did. Though the freckled boy might judge him for his actions, it isn't in a mean way. And there will only be a little teasing because of it. But finally he lets out a loud sigh and continues, “I might have kissed him.”

Marco's eyes widen slightly and he shakes his head. “Jean. You're an idiot.”

“I know!!” he moans even louder than before.

“Did you apologize?” Marco asks. He's pretty sure he already knows the answer, but he has to hold out a little hope. Now it's Jean's turn to have his eyes go wide. It's almost as if the idea never even occurred to him, and knowing him how Marco does, the idea really is foreign. Jean throws himself into things without thinking about repercussions. Thus, he usually ends up getting himself into situations like this where he really should have thought before acting. “I'm going to take that as a no,” Marco sighs. “Jean, you probably terrified the guy. If you hadn't noticed, people in Campus Patrol get picked on a lot. And judging from the rumors I've heard, he gets it worse than most. You need to go back there and apologize to him.” Jean stands up suddenly and heads towards the door. “Not tonight!” Marco calls before launching himself off the bed to stop the other boy. “Don't be an idiot twice in one day.”

Jean glares at that remark.

“Don't be like that. Just sit down and whine some more. I'm all ears for the rest of the night.”

The taller of the two seems to consider his friend's words before flopping back onto the futon. “Fine, but I'm going to complain all night long.”

Marco smiles kindly. “I figured.” Then he picks up an xbox controller and throws it at the other boy. “That's why we're going to play Left 4 Dead 2 instead so I don't have to listen.”

“You know, secretly you are an ass. But since you let me crash in your room all the time, I guess I'll keep that secret,” Jean responds. He watches as the system gets booted up and the two of them spend some much needed time blowing off steam by shooting zombies. Eventually they give it a rest and head downstairs to see how the Friday night party is going. The theme tonight is ABC or Anything But Cups. That's usually a sure fire way to guarantee everyone getting shitfaced and on any other night Jean would be more than happy to join them. But tonight he can't seem to get his mind off of what happened earlier and how disastrous it was. It leaves such a sour taste in his mouth that even the beer tastes wrong.

_Tomorrow_. He thinks absentmindedly as a girl dances with him. _I'll fix all this tomorrow._


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, long time no see. I was finally inspired to continue this story. Hopefully that means the updates will continue to flow. Enjoy!!

Chapter Three  
“I'm worried about Armin,” Mikasa says the next morning. She is sitting in Eren's room as the two of them eat breakfast. There is a third plate of food sitting out in the kitchen, untouched. It would have been for the blonde, but he has yet to come out of his room this morning.  
Eren sets his food to the side and turns to face his adoptive sister. “Did Armin tell you what happened?” the girl shakes her head. “He must not have seen you.” Eren lets out a loud sigh. “Those assholes in Sig Ep are at it again. That Jean guy who is always hitting on you apparently took a vacation to creep on Armin. That loser. He wouldn't stand a chance with either of you, especially if I have any say in it.”  
Mikasa places a hand on his shoulder to ease the sudden tension and the brunette visibly deflates. “I heard about that Eren. He texted me after talking to you. I think something else is wrong.”  
“Why do you think that?” Eren mutters. He's picked his food back up again, but now his bites are significantly smaller. Whenever he thinks about the blonde being bullied it always makes him lose his appetite and something about this instance seems to be hitting him even harder. Jean has no reason to act like this. He's friends with Connie so surely Connie must have told him to back off. The boy may be a giant goofball, but he knows when he needs to be serious about something.  
“I came back early last night,” Mikasa says. “The bar was packed and it was hard to breathe so we called it an early night. By the time I got back to the dorm it was probably 11:30, and even Armin doesn't go to bed that early on the weekends. But when I came inside all the lights were out.”  
“Maybe he went out,” Eren interjects. He sounds hopeful, but he knows that the chances of him being right are slim to none. Both of them tried to encourage the blonde to come out with them, but partying was never really his thing and it's about the only thing the rest of campus seems inclined to do.   
Mikasa gives him the side eye and continues, “So I poked my head into his room and he was passed out. And now it's after ten and he still isn't up. I think something else happened that he isn't telling us.”  
“Maybe he just didn't get the chance. Maybe when he wakes up he'll say something,” Eren responds hopefully.  
“You know as well as I do that he’s not going to say anything,” Mikasa sighs. She pushes her own plate of food away and glances out the window. It’s Sunday and she can’t help but think about how much work she has to do tonight. Maybe she and Armin can work together; that might help him get his mind off things... or help him relax into telling her what’s really wrong.  
Eren’s phone rings and he pulls it out to look at it. “Shit, I forgot I was supposed to meet up with Annie. We’re studying for the music history test and she’s already been waiting half an hour. I gotta go. Text me if anything happens.” As he speaks, he throws his food away and grabs his still packed bag from beside the couch. Then, without waiting for a response, he’s out the door and on his way to the library.  
Mikasa shakes her head and starts cleaning up and doing dishes. If he’s not up in an hour she’ll go investigate.   
***  
Knock knock.  
Armin stirs when he hears the soft knock coming from his door. His eyes feel puffy and he’s all sorts of disoriented. He turns over and casts a glance at the clock on the table. It’s already 11 in the morning. He can’t believe he slept in this late.  
Knock knock.   
“Armin..?”  
That brings him back to his senses and he all but rolls out of bed. He goes to the door and opens it just a crack to see the concerned face of Mikasa staring intently back at him. “Armin? Are you ok?”  
He doesn’t respond for a moment because in truth, he has no idea if he’s ok right now. He feels like a freight train ran over his head, but he’s still so groggy with sleep it doesn’t make sense as to why. It’s not like he was drinking last night; he never drinks. So why..?  
Then it all comes rushing back to him: Jean, his visit, and the kiss. Then he remembers yelling at him to get out and taking solace in his room for the rest of the night. Just thinking about those horrible events causes his eyes to well up with tears and he quickly closes the door and slides down with his back to it as he begins to cry again.   
The guys at Sig Ep have always been known for being assholes. They like to tease and bully anyone who isn’t part of the exclusive clique. And aside from Connie, he tries to avoid them at all costs. But then Jean littered and he couldn’t just let that slide. So he called him out on it. But then Jean took it a step too far; he took it beyond what Armin thought anyone in that frat was capable of: he decided to play with the boy’s emotions.  
It’s no secret that Armin is gay. It’s not like he tries very hard to hide it. And though he occasionally has a few slurs thrown at him, it’s never been anything like this. Jean actually up and kissed him and made some sort of messed up confession. Surely it’s all just to mess with him and give them all something to laugh about over dinner. He honestly thought the boy was better than that. He seemed somewhat decent, especially since Connie chooses to hang out with him. But maybe he was wrong.  
“Armin!” Mikasa shouts through the door. “Please let me in. Talk to me.”  
She sounds desperate, a rare trait to see in the girl. She is normally so calm and collected.  
Armin collects himself as much as he can and stands up. He opens the door just a crack and she comes rushing in. She wraps him in a tight hug and he buries his face into her shoulder, the soft sobs returning. They stay like that for several minutes, until he can calm himself down enough. Then they move to the bed.  
“What happened last night Armin? All of it.”  
Then he tells her the story and watches as her eyes grow darker and darker with anger.  
“He’s going to pay,” she whispers softly at the end of it.


End file.
